EXERCISE MYTHS AND FACTS

BE CAREFUL. EVERYONE HAS AN OPINION

In my teens, I became interested in all forms of exercise, including weight lifting. This was in the 1950s, so helpful information was limited. I can remember several “opinions” that seem laughable today. Here are a few:

• A football coach said that weight training was not necessary and even harmful. “Your muscles will grow without that”.
• Other teenagers opined that we must continue weight training forever once we start. Otherwise, our muscles will turn to fat. Apparently there was not any atrophy at all. Straight to fat!
• There was general acceptance that fat could be reduced in the spot being trained. Spot reduction was part of the culture.
• Basketball players generally didn’t work out with weights. After all, their “touch” might be compromised.

Bodybuilding magazines were not helpful. They showed routines that went on for hours, featuring high reps and sets. Fortunately, Mike Mentzer came along to promote heavy but short workouts. Personally, I began to make gains only when I reduced my sets and reps, thus my time.

I was a tennis player and at one point a tennis teacher. As a player, I was often on a court adjacent to couples. Often, the man was “coaching” his wife or girl friend. Some of the advice was not only unhelpful. It would have destroyed her game if she had taken heed.

There was at times a coaching philosophy that seemed to be based on intimidation. This was a “fear builds strength” concept. Fortunately, it wasn’t true of all coaches.

This post will touch upon more examples of myths in exercise, apart from my personal experience. The salient point is that we all must be careful with the advice we get when we are first learning a skill or exercise routine. Especially when the advice comes without an invitation.

MORE MYTHS

Lifting weights makes women bulky. The truth is that resistance training helps to shape the female body. With low levels of testosterone, women can’t naturally build massive muscles. This is still an ongoing myth today to some degree.

Crunches are the best forms of exercise for the core. Exercise physiologist Carol Harrison tells us that crunches don’t get rid of belly fat and are among the least effective core exercises. The best routine is a combination of cardio and resistance training for the entire core. I am personally happy to know this, since I don’t do floor crunches now. Instead, I do medicine ball core exercise while standing. See my prior post on core training.

Exercise can erase a bad diet. Carol Harrison further tells us that “exercise by no means makes up for a bad diet”. Diet and nutrition play larger roles than exercise in weight management and cancer prevention. I can remember hearing from a bodybuilder who would say that he could “eat anything he wanted” since he worked out. Wrong!

Stretch before exercising. Per Carol Harrison, stretching before exercising has little benefit. The benefit comes when we are finished and our muscles and joints are warm. Then, we can improve our flexibility by stretching. My take on this is that there are two kinds of stretching – dynamic and static. Dynamic stretching before exercise is a form of warming up. When Rafael Nadal was preparing for a tennis match, he would do all manner of jumping around and moving his arms and legs. He wanted to begin play with a warm body. Static stretching, of course, is a means to cool down and maintain flexibility.

Mayo Clinic Health System tells us about other myths:

• Stick only with cardio for weight loss. We need to do strength training as well. By working our muscles, we maximize our cardio routines. More muscle means more calories burned during cardio.
• If the number on the scale is not going down, I am not losing weight. Factors include our hydration, what we have eaten and when we are weighing in. I did a prior post on the subject of weight loss inconsistency,

• No pain, no gain. Feeling uncomfortable during a workout is normal. Feeling pain is not, though many athletes may promote “no pain, no gain”. If we work through pain, we may create a permanent injury.

AFFILIATE MARKETING

I am an affiliate marketer, which means that I can include links to associated businesses when they are relevant to my subject matter. When the links are “clicked” and acted upon, I may earn a commission on the sale. My goal is to appeal to search engines and to social media.

See in my upper menu “BECOME AN AFFILIATE MARKETER” for complete information on how this works. It’s a growing business.

For today, I am going to feature two links that are permanently a part of my website. They are to the side. Dick’s Sporting Goods and Bullworker Fitness.

DICK’S SPORTING GOODS. This is the largest sporting goods dealer in the United States and my favorite source for athletic equipment. Here are a few of their current specials:

• $200 off select golf clubs. Callaway Rogue ST, TaylorMade Stealth and others.
• Up to 50% off sweatshirts, hoodies and fleece. Nike, DSG, adidas and others.
• Up to $100 off select kayaks.
• $1000 and under for cardio equipment
• $100 and under athletic shoes from top brands
• Up to 50% off select MLB clothing and gear

See my link at the side. Click on the red link. You will see the question “What are you looking for?” Proceed from there.

BULLWORKER FITNESS. This company specializes in high quality home workout equipment. I have used two of their tools for about five years and they have become my most dependable pieces of equipment – the Steel Bow and the Bow Classic. I can do isotonic reps or isometric reps, but I generally do both. I first do the isotonic reps, then finish with an isometric hold. I am able to do seated crunches, which are not only very effective, they also protect my back and joints. No more floor crunches for me!

See my link at the side, just above the Dick’s Sporting Goods link. Click on the red link. This takes you to their website.

FINAL THOUGHTS

The more I mentioned exercise myths in my past, the more I thought of other ones. They were a big part of my teen-age years. Unfortunately, there are still a few such myths going on within the workout culture.

i have personally been working out for more than six decades, yet I learn new ways and means every day, or so it seems.

Personal trainers and physical therapists are two professional groups that I would recommend enthusiastically to beginners. Also, use common sense (forget about “no pain, no gain”).

So, reject the obvious bad advice. But don’t let it lessen your motivation to exercise.

Let’s live and promote a fitness lifestyle!

Please leave me any comments or questions in the “Comments” section below.